Mold for elongated bladder of pressure vessel



J. MERCIER March 1, 1966 MOLD FOR ELONGATED BLADDER OF PRESSURE VESSEL Filed May 19, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,www @N @Y WNN N .OE

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' INVENTOR jean Mercier:

eacl ATTORNEYS March l, 1966 J, MERCIER 3,237,248

MOLD FOR ELONGATED BLADDER OF PRESSURE VESSEL Filed May 19, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 El q E Jn fvr' aym/M ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,237,248 MLD FR ELNGATED BLADDER F PRESSURE VESSEL Jean Mercier, 1185 Park Ave., New York, NX. Fied May 19, 1964, Ser. No.. 368,548 1 Claim. (Cl. 18-36) This application is a continuation-in-part of oopending application Serial No. 42,378, filed July 12, 1960 (now Patent No. 3,138,176, dated June 23, '1964), which was a division of application Serial No. 494,139, filed March 14, 1955 (now Patent No. 2,947,326, dated August 2, 1960).

This invention relates to the art of pressure devices, more particularly to the type known as pressure accumulators.

As conductive to `an understanding of the invention, it is noted that where such accumulators are of large size requiring a relatively long bladder between the two iluids under pressure contained therein, in the formation of such an elongated bladder, where a long core member is used during the molding process, it is likely to shift radially at its free end with respect to the mold recess with the result that a portion of the bladder wall will be thinner than the adjacent portion, providing a weak area that is likely to rupture when the bladder is in use.

Where a rod is used that extends through the base of the mold into the core to guide the latter, and the resultant opening in the completed bladder is filled With a plug of bladder material, the resultant plugged opening provides a region of Weakness which, when subjected to strain, is likely to break down with resultant rupture of the bladder.

It is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide a mold for forming a bladder for a pressure accumulator of the type having a relatively long bladder therein, having an axial opening in the bottom thereof, with an insert therein which in use of the bladder, will not be subjected to undue stress or strain with resultant likelihood of ybreakdown in the region of such insert.

According to the invention, these objects are accorn plished by the arrangement and combination of elements 4hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features Iof the invention,

FG, 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an accumu lator incorporating a bladder made according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of a mold for forming the bladder shown in FIG. 1, and

FIG, 3 is a View similar to FIG. 2 of another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the pressure accumulator shown in FIG. 1 comprises a container 91 of strong rigid material capable of withstanding high pressures and having yaxially aligned openings 92 and 93 at its opposed ends.

Mounted in opening 92 is a plug 94 having an annular shoulder 95 adapted to seat against the inner periphery of said opening. The plug 94 has a lateral flange 96 with an annular depression 97 therein to receive the thickened rim 98 of the mouth of a deformable substantial conical bladder 99. Thus, when a nut 101 screwed on the threaded end of plug 94 extending beyond open ing 92, is tightened, the rim 98 of the bladder will be clamped between ilange 96 and the wall of the container around opening 92 securely to hold the rim in place, the shoulder 95 preventing excessive pinching of such rim.

The plug 94 desirably has an axial nipple 102 on its inner surface and a passageway 103 extends through said plug and said nipple so that gas under pressure may be Mice forced through said passageway into said bladder to charge the latter.

Mounted in opening 93 of the container 91 is a closure assembly 199 dening a port 111 through which a lluid under pressure, such as oil, may ilow into and out of the container.

The closure assembly illustratively comprises a tubular member or sleeve 112 of diameter such that it may readily t into opening 93.l Although the tubular member 112 may be retained in position in opening 93 in any suitable manner, it desirably is welded in place as at 113.

The bore `of tubular member 112 which defines the port 111, is of enlarged internal diameter at its outer end defining an annular shoulder 114 and such enlarged diameter portion is internally threaded to receive the correspondingly threaded end of a coupling (not shown) to which a hydraulic line may be connected.

Positioned in the container 91 is la valve head 1116 of diameter greater than that of the bore in tubular member 112 and designed to seat against the inner end 117 thereof to cut ofi flow of fluid from the container.

Means are provided to guide the valve head 116 so that it will move axially Iwith respect to tubular member 112. Such means desirably comprises a guide member 118 ywhich may be substantially cup-shaped as shown and of outer diameter just slightly less than that of the smaller diameter portion of bore 111 so that it may readily slide therethrough but with substantially no transverse play. The side wall 121 of guide member 118 near its end wall 122 has a plurality of openings 123 through which iluid may iiow, when valve head 116 is in open position. The guide member 118 desirably has an outwardly extending iiange 124 which will abut against shoulder 114 to limit the inward movement of said guide member, and which will also impart a damping action to such inward movement as liquid is forced into the container.

Although the valve head may be afrlxed to the guide member in any suitable manner, in the embodiment shown, a rod 126 threaded at both ends extends through axially aligned openings in the end wall 122 of the guide member 11b` and the Valve head 116 and through an opening 195 in the end 194 Vof the bladder 99 opposed to the mouth of the latter. The rod 126 has a collar 166 desirably formed integrally therewith of substantially the same thickness as the bladder Wall and an annular flange 1113 prefer-ably formed integrally with the collar extends laterally outward therefrom. The collar 106 and flange 1118 are molded integrally with the bladder, said flange having a layer of bladder material on each surface thereof. Nuts I131 and 132 are screwed on the threaded ends of said rod to clamp the valve head 116 and the guide member 118 together.

The nut 131 and the valve head 116 at the periphery of the openings therein will abut against the collar 1116 to prevent undue pinching `of the bladder 10d adjacent the openings therein and the opposed surface of said nut 131 and the valve head 116 have outstanding bosses 133 securely to grip the bladder to reduce lateral strain against the flange 198 which might break the bond of the bladder thereto.

The nut 132 is desirably conical, as shown, to deflect the liquid forced into the tubular member 112 so that it will flow toward openings 123 without severe impact against the undersurface of the end wall 122 of the guide member 11S.

Resilient means are provided normally -to retain the valve head in open position. Such means desirably comprises a coil spring 138 extending centrally through bladder 104 and affixed at its respective ends to nipple 162 and to rod 126. Under normal conditions with the accumulator uncharged, the spring 133 will retain the valve 

